I decided that I would give up music for my 5th month on the race, and no I didn’t cover my ears if someone played their own music but I chose not to listen to it myself. I didn’t even realize how much I loved listening to music and sitting in my own bubble but it became clear how much I love alone time in an unhealthy way. Now music has such amazing benefits and it can be such a way to glorify God but what would happen if I decided to not listen to it?
After the first few days here in Botswana I realized that we would be having a month with more alone time then we may have wanted. Our ministry for this month was to be CRU which is Campus Crusades and it had been a great start to the month with evangelism but after just 3 days the campus went on strike and closed down. We were optimistic and thought that within a fews day or the next week the campus would be open but it did not. So we had time to figure out what the Lord was calling us to do and we all had so much alone time that we all went a little stir crazy. You could see how this month would be a challenge to be giving up music but I guess that is the way God likes to challenge us!
Music is such an amazing gift that the Lord has blessed us with but obviously their is music that does nothing good for us. I know that I will continue to struggle with listening to ‘appropriate’ music in my life but I want to do my best to see how it affects me. In just one short month I saw how easy it was to control more of my thoughts. I never thought that by starting my day off by listening to a song that I enjoyed, but it wasn’t glorifying to God could affect all my thoughts. I mean how can you think of Godly things with the song Work, Closer, or just common songs are stuck in your mind? You cannot. I realized so fast that I could choose the song that was stuck in my head too. I mean how cool that when I heard a song someone else was listening to and it not get stuck in my head because I saw how it affected my mind?! That was cool.
When I talk about how a song can affect you I mean it in the ways of thoughts mainly. When you have a positive song stuck in your head you are more likely to think positive things, when you have a lustful song stuck in your head then you are more likely to think of lustful things and so on with all types of songs. I am also not saying that you should never listen to the music you like but just know that you can take breaks from it and challenge yourself to grow closer to the Lord by doing something as simple as giving up a certain type of music. If you don’t believe me I think you should try to listen to 1 song one morning and play no music yourself and see how it affects all of your thoughts….I am sure you will understand what I realized!
Botswana was a month of listening to all the Lord had to tell me with one less distraction and I was able to see that I am in charge of if I want to grow closer to Him and I am so excited to see where I can take this! So if you want to try it just for a couple days without music I highly recommend it and the Lord will show you how amazing music is and how it can not always glorify Him but He will show you some cool revelations even if it a small one! God is cool and awesome and this was just another way to take away a earthy distraction and focus on Him!
Thanks guys for reading and as an update of fundraising I am about $800 away from being funded and that could mean that you donate $5 dollars or simply tell a friend about what I am doing! Thanks again 🙂
